Recently, functions and services to distribute videos from plural monitoring cameras have been provided via networks such as the Internet and LANs.
Conventionally, for an apparatus which adjusts the code amount (coding rate) of videos distributed from plural cameras, there is an apparatus which determines, in a centralized manner, the assignment of code amounts to all the cameras (See Patent Reference 1).
Patent Reference 1 discloses a technique for promoting efficient use of a network by: automatically assigning the band (code amount) for each camera, based on an instruction from a console processing apparatus which collectively sets the transmission bands for plural cameras, so that the summation of the data, which is distributed from the plural cameras distributing videos at a constant bit rate, does not exceed a predetermined transmission capacity; and reassigning the bands, in the case where the traffic in the network increases, so that the transmission band of each camera automatically becomes narrower.
In addition, there is another conventional technique which allows the code amounts of videos distributed from cameras to be autonomously judged and adjusted by the respective cameras themselves. In these conventional techniques, a predetermined object or abnormality is detected with sensors, image processing, and so on, and the code amount value of the video to be distributed is changed based on the detected details (See Patent References 2 and 3).
Patent Reference 2 discloses the following technique: when a network camera which distributes a video on a network such as a LAN and the Internet detects the presence of an object with a sensor, the network camera switches the video capturing mode, from the first capturing mode in which ordinary capturing is performed, to the second capturing mode in which capturing is performed with higher resolution and at a lower frame rate than in the first capturing mode, thereby avoiding the distribution of an unnecessarily large amount of video pictures to the network in the case where no object is present.
In addition, Patent Reference 3 discloses the following technique: when a monitoring camera which remotely monitors a traffic state detects the traffic as abnormal, the monitoring camera decreases the compression rate for the monitoring video and automatically distributes, as a high-quality monitoring video, the picture of the spot on which the abnormality is occurring.    Patent Reference 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-32680    Patent Reference 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-236235    Patent Reference 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 9-305891